Power of Intention and Positive Thought

What is intention? Let's go back to the word "intend." Definitions found in Webster's Collegiate are "to have in mind as a purpose or goal" or "to have an aim or end in mind." The dictionary goes on to say that an intention "implies little more that what one has in mind to do or bring about."

What's in your mind right now? Maybe you don't say things like "I have an intention to catch my bus today," but you know that you must get to work and therefore you think about getting ready on time, walking out the door in a calm and collected manner, and arriving at work, ready to start the day. You may not go through those exact steps, or be aware you go through any steps at all, but your intentions are clear.

Or conversely, maybe you don't state that intention and you arrive at work late all the time.

For most of us, we deeply believe that life is a game of luck, chance, and random circumstances. Cancer is a lottery. Making money is about being in the right place at the right time. Finding an amazing spouse just means you got there before someone else.

Setting clear, conscious intentions goes against that in many ways. By taking responsibility for what we want in our lives, we can get exactly what we asked for. But be careful, if what we ask for is too vague or we're too shy to ask for what we REALLY want, we'll get what we intend just the same.

I had a friend who said to me, "I just want a companion." She was heartbroken that she had been single for so long and couldn't understand why. When I think of a companion, I think of an animal. She had two cats. I challenged her by saying, "Do you really just want a companion? Because you already have plenty of those. Wouldn't you rather have a boyfriend?" She understood that asking for a companion wasn't really what she wanted. But she was having a hard time asking for what she wanted directly. Who was she to get what something/someone she asked for? What made her so important?

It's not about how worthy you are. That's none of your business. Everyone is always worthy, anyway. But if you don't ask for exactly what you want, there's no way to get exactly what you want. You can't go to the grocery store and ask the clerk to ring you up some food, can you? He or she might do it, but then you'll be stuck with pickles, mustard, and red jello.

Asking for Exactly What You Want

What do you want? A new car? Better grades? More money? Closer connection to God? Whatever it is, just ask. Ask for an inexpensive car, with good gas mileage, that can fit your whole family, that doesn't have any problems. Better yet, cut out a picture of the car, then write down all the things you want included. Ask for the capacity to do better in school, have a stronger memory, or better comprehension of complicated concepts. Ask for your debt to be paid down by February.

The universe works for your highest good.

If you ask for a cheap car, that's fully loaded, knowing in your heart of heart that really you just want a reliable car, then there is a miscommunication. Align yourself with what you REALLY want.

When we think of rubbing a lamp to get our wishes, do we always want more wishes? We could have a lifetime of wishes, but that amounts to nothing! All we have then, are wishes! What about the realities?

Often we want stuff immediately and don't think about the circumstances that come with that. We want a big house, lots of stuff, and lots of money. That all comes with taxes, possible burglary, storage issues, etc. See what I'm getting at?

Similarly, if we think we don't deserve, or can't afford, something, then that energy will prevent us from getting it. We give the message, I'd like it, but don't give it to me. Confusing!

From my own experience, I have often wanted things that seem really far-fetched, but I couldn't get my mind off the idea that it would be optimal for my life. I wanted a job that I only had to go to for four hours a day, but I got paid as if I was full time. I didn't just want to work less, I wanted more time to write and take care of my house. When I was ready, it came.

I wanted a husband who was intelligent, cooked, was okay with me working PT, wanted to have kids, was okay with a Jewish household (even if he wasn't Jewish), was playful but knew when to be serious, etc. I had to constantly learn that I had to ask for that, specifically, over and over. A boyfriend was not enough. A loving boyfriend was not enough. I wanted someone very specific. I had to learn about my desires and then ask for them directly.

Whispering your desires to yourself, in your head, may seem good enough, but the louder and more open you are about asking, the better your chances. Be proud of your desires. Stand firm in your pickiness. There are infinite possibilities out there so hone in on the ones YOU want.

Here's another example: You want more money. So you say, "Universe, I want more money."

That's pretty vague. If you pick up a penny from the ground, technically, you received your "more money" request.
So how much money do you want? What do you want it for? Do you want an increase in pay at work, or to win the lottery, or to get an inheritance? Those all come with consequences so watch for that as well.

Now you revise your request: I'd like a raise at work, that comes with an increase in responsibility but a decrease in hours per week. I'll use that money to start saving for my kids' education and I'll use that time to start hanging out with my family more.

A lot more specific, right?

Here's the funny thing about asking: you can't control how it happens. Luckily, we don't know everything and because of that, we can't possibly figure out how something will happen in the future. If we ask for a raise in pay and responsibility, we have to be willing to see all the options. Maybe that job is in another company. Or another state. So again, if you know you don't want to move, then specify that, and keep your eyes open.

Positive Thought
The Law of Attraction is the best tool to bring about the life you want. Negative energy will attract negative energy, so at all possible times, it's best to think positively. This can be hard, as a lot of us have grown up with a negative outlook (and we don't even know it!). Negative thinking only brings more negative thinking and I bet you can't think of many times where negative thought has brought you what you wanted. This doesn't mean you have to pretend that everything is okay. In fact, everything IS okay and you don't need to pretend at all. Sure, there is war, hunger, illiteracy, and many other awful things, but there are millions of people invoking change as well. Dwell on those folks, on what they are doing to make a difference. Start seeing your intentions as an addition to making the world a better place. If you are living the life you were meant to live, then that's one less person adding sadness, exhaustion, or apathy into the energy mix. I can always tell when someone in the room feels beaten down, and if I'm not careful, I can start to feel that way too. It takes some practice, but I learn to feel gratitude, to counteract the negative feelings. I feel thankful that I have awareness, that I am supported by friends and family, and that I am free to make choices about my life. Once I start on the grateful list, my energy immediately starts to turn positive. I can still feel compassion for others in their sadness, but I don't have to be sad myself. Suspend belief and old patterns for just a moment and think positively. Doesn't it feel good?

Trust and Other Intangibles

"Trust?!?! But how do I know what to trust?" That's the whole point. Ask for exactly what you want, and then kick back, relax, and watch it unfold. Don't look under every nook and cranny or lie awake at night trying to figure it all out. Just trust that if it's for your highest good, it will happen. Go about your life, meditate on the word "trust" when you feel panicky, and let go.

You don't have to pull out the meditation cushion, start eating tofu, or wear purple. You can trust while driving a truck cross-country, playing the stock market, eating a hamburger, voting Republican, or watching TV. The universe doesn't keep track of demographics. As long as you are asking for your highest good.

What does "highest good" mean?

From my own experience, sometimes my highest good is filled with mistakes. If I am feeling arrogant or particularly selfish in my requests, I can sometimes get EXACTLY what I ask for, complete with consequences. Those consequences teach me something that I can use later in my life. I'll rarely ask for lessons on generosity, but it's good for me to learn, so with my material requests there can be the added bonus of learning to give things away.

No doubt you've heard a variation of the concept that if you get everything you want all the time, life will be boring and static. We don't really want that. An unchanging life leads to poor health, sluggishness in the brain, and it doesn't bode well for the rest of the world, missing out on your unique gift. The universe most likely won't give that to you anyway, because it's probably not for your highest good to fall into slow decline. I've heard of people having "everything" and then when I investigate further, I notice that either, they have offered up their gifts and therefore continue to receive good fortune, or they have gotten everything and haven't noticed the emptiness they feel inside.
Bill Gates has a lot of money, but he gives billions away as well.

Give It a Try

Try these easy steps:

1) Review your life. How could it be improved? How can you be a better you?

2) Write it all down.

3) Go back and underline the thoughts that really stand out to you.

4) Use those thoughts to illuminate your TRUE desires, what your REALLY want.

5) Write those desires down, as specifically as you can, as necessary as possible (if it doesn't matter if your car is red or purple, then maybe you don't have to specify a color)

6) Put that paper in a prominent place where you can read it all the time. Just read it, don't judge the validity of it.

7) If you decide it's not specific enough yet, rewrite it.

8) Let go. Relax. Live your life. Trust that your highest good will come to you.

9) Repeat.

Boosters

Want to know how to put that extra POW! in your request? Cut out pictures, build an alter, tell your friends.

I want to live in The Netherlands and so I have several pictures of Amsterdam around my house, I am studying Dutch, I write Dutch holidays on my calendar and learn about their customs and traditions, and I talk about it all the time to anyone who will listen. I am creating a life that can be easily set up in The Netherlands. I am researching how to become a resident or citizen. I visit there as often as I can afford. I am carving an energetic path to my European life. Have I moved yet? No. But I know that it's not time, it's not for my highest good right now. When it does happen, I will be ready!

Create an alter with the requested item in mind. Want a better relationship with your spouse? Put pictures of you two hugging and loving each other. It may feel weird at first, but trust that it starts the energy moving in that direction. Want extra money for college tuition? Make a fake diploma with the graduate's name, special awards received, a bank account statement with the exact amount added in, etc. Want a new car? Go test drive one, take a picture of you inside of it, make your own vanity plates for it, create a title. Put these items in a place you often look, or a room you're often in so that you can constantly be reminded of the order you put in with the universe.

I've Been Waiting Forever, Where Is It??

This is a pivotal moment. The point when you've think you've waited long enough.

Go back and look at your request. Is what you asked for what you really want? Is a new car for status or you really wanted the newest GPS technology because you work for Search and Rescue? Do you want more money so you can retire well, or so you can give more to others? Do you want to work less so you can play on the Internet more, or so you can be with your family (maybe being on the Internet more IS what you want, but make sure!)?

If it IS what you want, and it's for your highest good, then this is the time to really focus on FEELING trust inside yourself. What does that *feel* like?

When I feel trust I feel warm, slowed down, less involved in the outcome, and peaceful. Maybe you feel energized, enthusiastic, and ready to take on the world. Whatever that feeling is, let yourself move into that. Don't invite your doubts, judgments, and nay-saying thoughts to the table. Make them find another host. Stick to the idea that you can't possibly know where or how everything comes about and relax into the idea that it's a good thing you aren't in control of the whole universe and you don't know everything. That takes you off the hook. We can still live our lives, not having to worry about how to create it all.

Receiving and Gratitude

When you get what you've asked for, be sure to offer up gratitude. Maybe it wasn't exactly what you imagined, but now, thankfully, you know more about what to ask for. Appreciate that you have creative energy, that you are able to collaborate with a seemingly invisible entity, and that you can have what you want in your life.